Nyungnay

Every year to celebrate Buddha’s Enlightenment Day, Buddhists around the world engage in Nyungnay, a special purification practice. This two day retreat, which is done in conjunction with Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara, is very powerful for purifying negative karma of body, speech, and mind, and for pacifying strong delusions such as desirous attachment and hatred.

The essence of the Buddhist path is compassion. In this practice, which involves taking Mahayana precepts conjoined with the practice of prostrations, we purify our mind fully by meditating extensively on compassion.

Eight Mahayana Precepts

Each day begins with taking the Eight Mahayana Precepts. When we take Precepts we promise to abstain for 24 hours from negative actions of body, speech and mind and to eat just one meal. During Nyungay it is traditional to have one meal on the first day (Saturday) and no food or drink at all on the second day (Sunday) to increase the purificaton. However it is possible to choose your own level of fasting on Saturday, eg complete fast, or to drink but not eat, or to eat one meal.

Retreat sessions

The retreat sessions consist of physical prostrations and beautiful sung requests to Thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of universal compassion and is a powerful method to purify and empower our body and mind. Between meditation sessions there is time to rest, contemplate, read or walk outside. Some of the retreat will be in silence.

Please note:

In order to attend any of the Nyungnay sessions during the day you will need to attend Precepts in the morning at 7.00.

You may engage in one or two days of the retreat.

Everyone is welcome to the special Offering to the Spiritual Guide Puja on Saturday 14th April, even if you have not engaged in the retreat. You are welcome to bring something vegetarian (fruit, biscuits etc) or a non-alcoholic drink to offer at the puja.